Be good to people..for no reason

Be good to people…. for no reason.

Those of you who know me will know I’ve got a minor shoulder injury. I’ve been having physio for it and a couple of weeks ago I went to a physiotherapist in South Melbourne. I parked my car, put my coins in the meter and went in to be stretched and moved in very painful ways.

As with all these things the physio was running late, took longer than the appointed time and then it took me a while to pay. All in all my half an hour appointment took me nearly 50 minutes. I’d paid for about 35 of parking (all the change I had).

Walking back to my car I could see a couple of the other cars parked near mined parking tickets on it. Mine too had a little slip of paper flapping under the wiper.

Dismayed I went over and pulled it out. But imagine my joy when I found that it wasn’t a parking ticket, it was a note that said - 

“I saw the parking attendant coming round and so I fed your parking meter for you.

Someone did it for me, all I ask is that you do a random act of kindness in return.

Yours,

A Helpful Stranger.”

Whoever this stranger was I want to thank them and if they ever read this please know that I will do as you ask. 

And now I’ll remind you to do the same - do a random act of kindness to someone. It could be to feed their parking meter, pay for their coffee, give up your seat on a tram. Any one of a thousand little things. Do it! It makes the world a better place. A little brighter for you and a lot brighter for the recipient. Trust me, I know, I’ve been the recipient. 

So be good to people…for no reason.

It’s the essence of that Bible verse that says, “Do to others as you would have them do to you.” (Luke 6:31)

or as the Message Bible puts it (verses 31-34)

“Here is a simple rule of thumb for behaviour: Ask yourself what you want people to do for you; then grab the initiative and do it for them! If you only love the loveable, do you expect a pat on the back? Run-of-the-mill sinners do that. If you only help those who help you, do you expect a medal? Garden-variety sinners do that. If you only give for what you hope to get out of it, do you think that’s charity? The stingiest of pawnbrokers does that.”

Yes, we’ve all hear stories of these random acts of kindness of cafe bills being paid or pathways cleared of snow (not an issue we have here) etc - well don’t just listen to the stories - be one. GO and be good to people…for no reason at all other than it’s what Jesus has told us to do! 

Make the world a little brighter for someone!

Australia: What are we doing???

Australia: Where the Government will try and put a sick baby on a plane but won't do the same for a sick Cardinal.

This blog is inspired by a twitter post I read over the week end.

I'd like to continue the re-working of Bible verse this week with a look at Matthew 25 40 & 45

40 And the king will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these... you did it to me.’
and
45 Then he will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’

What would Jesus say to the idea of the government (working for the people of this country) sending a sick baby, who was born here by the way, to a detention camp? I think he would say something like, "Just as you did it to baby Asha, you did it to me."

I don't care what your politics are, which side of the line you sit, if you can tell me it's right to send a sick baby to a detention camp I don't think we're going to agree on our views of Jesus (among other things).

For once this isn't about Cardinal Pell or the Roman Catholic church.* This is about doing what is right - is it right for the government to try and deport a sick baby and yet not ask a sick Cardinal to come back and answer questions that he has to answer? Is it right that, in our name, the government are denying human rights to one group of people and yet defending (or at least not infringing them) in others? Are we seeing a double standard here? Foreigners are less important than Australians living overseas? Somehow Cardinals are worth more than Refugees?

Jesus never made that distinction. "Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these... you did it to me." 

I, for one, do not wish to stand before God with the deportation of baby Asha (or any of the asylum seekers) on the list of things I have done wrong - that list is long enough without adding to it. 

Australia - we are better than this! Far better. We live in the lucky country not the cruel country. Let's tell those who have the power to make decisions that some things are just plain wrong and shouldn't be done - not in our name.

just as you did it to one of the least of these... you did it to me!

* I have been accused of being anti-catholic and that is not true. Let me make it very clear here that I am not anti-catholic. I am anti-cover up; I don't agree (and that's putting it mildly) with the way some of the leaders of the Roman Catholic church seem to have covered up the systematic abuse of children in their care. If that is the case then they should have to answer for any crimes (and covering it up is every bit as bad as actually doing it in my book). I think that Cardinal Pell has a duty to answer, in person, the questions from the Royal Commission. I am not making any statement about his guilt or innocence, I don't know anything about that - under law he is innocent until proven guilty but I think he should front up and not have the relative safety of a video link to hide behind.

If it would encourage him I point him again to Matthew 25 v. 40 and, in light of him not testifying yet, verse 45.

But like I say - this isn't about him. He will face the Royal Commission and also a far higher judge soon enough.

Whatever you do give 100% unless it's giving blood

Today we continue the re-vamped Bible verses - how about Matthew 5:41?

 If anyone forces you to go one mile, go with them two miles.

Or in modern speak - 

Whatever you do give 100% unless it's giving blood.

The original verse is about the practise of impressment, when a Roman Soldier could command a civilian to carry their pack a mile for them. Jesus was saying that you should even help those with whom you don’t agree. Not just help them but do more than you're expected to. 

Society doesn’t do this anymore, at least it’s not common practise anymore. Here, in Australia, on the whole, we seem to have a “that’ll do” attitude.

The job isn’t quite finished but that’ll do

I went to church three weeks ago, that’ll do

I helped a little bit, that’ll do

I saw someone else give that homeless woman 50c, that’ll do

Climate change? I turn some lights off sometimes, that’ll do

Insert need here - Other people help, that’ll do

People - it isn’t good enough. I don’t care if you share my faith, have a different one or don’t have one at all - in a world with so much suffering as ours “that’ll do” is never good enough. Basic humanity demands that everyone has just that, basic humanity. When did it become normal for someone to work over 40 hours a week and still not be able to care for their family? When did we so shut our eyes to the needs of others that it became okay for some children to go to school hungry because their parents can’t afford food for them?

I met a guy the other day at a food van who has a choice - either he or his two kids eat. He can’t afford both. And before you shout that “he should get a job” he has TWO and still can’t afford to pay rent, bills, etc and get food. 

And this is becoming more and more common. Western ‘civilisation’ globally is now finding it has a new emerging class - the working poor. People who do work hard and who still can’t afford to live. People who struggle everyday to try and make ends meet only to find the gap between the ends is getting bigger and bigger. 

If ‘that’ll do’ then I pity you. If you can read and understand that concept, if you agree it’s happening and your heart doesn’t say that you should do something about it then your faith and mine are very different. Our views of social justice will not agree and our understanding of who Jesus is and what he wants us to do is markedly at odds.

The faith I follow demands I walk with those in need - not to make me feel better but to make their lives easier. Jesus told his followers to do that for the invading army. Carry the burdens of the Roman soldiers - not just carry them but to carry them twice as far as you need to. Go the extra mile.

It’s not just Christians that have this idea; most (if not all) of the faiths of the world do; Muslims do, Jews do, Buddhists do - we do not have a monopoly on compassion and caring, but we are commanded to do it. 

When life is fair for all, when everyone, regardless of their faith, or colour, or background can feed their family and have basic human rights then that’ll do - until then go the extra mile; until then give 100% in everything, well, unless it's giving blood.

(And yes, that is a Joel Osteen quote - I don't agree with all he says, I'm sure he doesn't agree with all I say but we agree on the following Jesus bit and that's a start.)